The first impression when visiting the Gulf is one of modernity. High rise buildings, state of the art highways and every facility anyone could want, readily available. These fast developing countries somehow trick visitors with its ultra modern first impression. The high level of development is real, but the local culture is conservative. And this is something entrepreneurs should keep in mind when doing business in the Gulf region. Why is this important?

For a number of reasons. First of all there is the market. The market in these countries consist of people from many different countries, including nationals. In some Gulf countries, the local inhabitants are the minority. Lees verder

Recently, I went to Dubai (United Arab Emirates, UAE) for a training on behalf of KIT Intercultural Professionals. A full day training for an arriving expat couple from the Netherlands to prepare for their assignment in the UAE.

They specifically requested to be trained in their new country of residence, post arrival. On the day of the training, they had been there for nearly three weeks.

I noticed some clear advantages of training IN the market, when compared to training pre arrival. Lees verder

I celebrate International Women’s Day 2014 by interviewing a passionate lady, working from Dubai. Her name is Zaina Kanaan. With her sister Rania, she set up Ananasa.com. Ananasa.com started when these two sisters wanted to expose the hidden beauty of the Middle East to the world.

Founded in 2011, Ananasa.com is an online marketplace that enables artisans, artists and designers in the Middle East to sell their creations worldwide with no barriers.

I had the privilege to interview Zaina about Ananasa.com and the future of this growing marketplace.

Can you tell me what triggered the idea to start Ananasa.com?

One of the co-founders (Zaina) is an emerging painter. When I moved to Dubai from Montreal, I found it very difficult to get into galleries because the scene was for the established artist. Therefore, initially my co-founder and myself decided to start a website to sell my art. However, after we started to speak to so many aspiring artisana’s who are artists, fashion designers, home crafters and bag makers we learnt that there are so many people like me. Looking for a platform to sell their work, get recognized and reach the entire world with no boundaries. There is so much beauty in the Middle East that is often not shown or reached. Ananasa’s is a platform to represent the beauty of the Middle East and shed light on all these aspiring artisana who wish to make a living of something they love.Lees verder

A recent visit to Dubai brought me to the UAE Women’s Museum. It’s located in Bait al Banat (‘Girls house’) in Deira, the older part of Dubai. I had been following them on Twitter for a while and it was on my list to visit. It’s an inspiring place to visit. Let me tell you why I think so.

The museum was established by mrs Rafia Ghubash, an Emirati professor. Besides preserving the history of women in the UAE, she wants to break down stereotypes about women. The general vision here in the West tends to be that women in the Arab world are in a second rate position. I know better, and this museum visualises this.Lees verder

A recent visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE, consisting of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and 5 more Emirates) made it clear to me once more. Flexibility is key to be succesful in business in the UAE.

During my visit, my programme changed on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes because the other party involved had to reschedule. At other times because one appointment lead to another, that needed to be squeezed in. No harm done. Even better: these changes might generate opportunities. It wouldn’t be the first time that such a last- minute- meeting proves to be the most valuable.Lees verder